418 
The third sort of tea is the least liable to 
be damaged by keeping. The country- 
people preserve their's in straw baskets, 
made in the form of abarrel, which the 
suspend from the ceiling of their houses. 
Macartney says, that in China they tread 
the tea with the feet into large chests, 
lined with sheet lead.* Tea is frequently 
perfumed with the flowers either of a 
species of aftimisia, of olea fragrans, 
Camellia sesanqua, or Arabian jasmin, 
or with turmeric, &c. 
Some outhofs have asserted, that the 
tea is dried upon piates of copper, and 
that its green colour is owing to verdi- 
grease; but Kampfer and Macartney 
say positively, that itis done upon iron 
plates. Neither could Lettsom, by any 
test he used, discover the smallest quan- 
tity of copper, in many experiments made 
upon different sorts of tea; so ‘that this 
imputation is void of all foundation. 
Some persons make an infusion of the 
tea, others grind it with stones,which they 
turn with the hand. ‘They grind it either 
on the preceding evening, or the same 
day that it isused. ‘This is the commen 
method amongst the rich. They pour 
boiling water into the cups, and then add 
a certain quantity of powdered tea with 
a spoon; alter which they mill it with a 
wooden instrument turned round rapidly 
‘with the hands, in the same manner as 
we do chocolate. 
A third way of taking tea, is by making 
a docoction of it; but this isin use among 
the country people only. They throw 
into akettle of boiling water, a few hand- 
fuls of tea, of the third quality, more or 
less, according to the number of persons 
that are to drink of it. They drink it 
thus prepared to allay their thirst. Some- 
times they boil tea enclosed in a cloth, 
to prevent the Jeaves mixing with the 
water. That which has lost its virtues, is 
* ‘De teathat is brougit over to this coun- 
try by the East India Company is packed in 
wooden chests, lined with thin sheet Jead, in 
small sheets curiously soldered together. 
3n the chests filled with green tea there is al- 
ways between the boards and the lead a layer 
of broad leaves, probably ef Holcus Sorghum, 
or Barbadoes Millet, a grain in very frequent 
use in most parts of the Chinese empire. The 
use of the layer of leaves is evidently to pre~ 
vent the shocks which the chest must receive 
in being moved about from injuring the lead.» 
For without the interposition of some elastic 
subsiance,the lead whichis so very thin, must 
“inevitably Le torn by every violent agitation. 
These leaves are fastened in a neat simple 
manner, by little skewers, made of the split 
stalk of the same Holcus.——-T. 
Observations on Tea. 
[Dee, 1, 
used to dye silk, to which it imparts 4 _ 
beautiful brown colour, New tea has a 
narcoti¢ quality, which irritates the 
nerves. This quality is not entirely re- 
moved by the roasting ; and it is asserted, 
that it requires ten or twelve months to 
get rid of it altogether ; after which the 
tea is wholesome, agreeable, and enli+ 
vening. The Japanese never drink new 
tea without mixing it with an equal quan- 
tity of old. 
Tea removes obstructions, is diuretic 
and promotes digestion by exciting the 
action of the stomach. No known plant 
can be drunk in infusion so frequently 
and so largely without exciting disgust. 
The Chinese consider it as very whole- 
some, They do not mix with it either 
milk, syrup, or spirits, but take it pure, 
with a lle sugar-candy, held in the 
mouth. The use which this people has 
made of tea for so many ages, proves that 
it has not any bad qualities when pro= 
perly prepared. They also make of it an 
extract, and take it diluted with a large 
quantity ofwater. To this they attribute 
great ctfects in the cure of several disor- 
ders. Kalm asserts, that tea is very use- 
ful in corfecting bad water, and that it 
restores the strength. He found it very 
serviceable to himself in performing his 
journeys. 
In commerce, etyht principal sorts of 
tea are distinguished, three of green and 
five of bohea; but it should be observed, 
the bohea tea of the traders is not the 
same which bears that name in China. 
The three sorts of green tea are, 1. The 
Imperial or Bloom tea; the leaves of this 
are not rolled, they are of a bright green 
colour, and have a very agreeable per- 
fume. 2. The Haisven, or Hyson, se 
called from the name of an Indian mer- 
chant, who-first brought it mto Europe; 
the leaves of this are small and tightly 
rolled, and are of a bluish green colour. 
S. The Singlo, or Souglo, a name, like 
that of several other kinds, derived from 
the place where it is cultivated. 
The five sorts of Bohéa tea of com- 
merce, best known are, 1, The Sou- 
chong, which consists af large leaves, not 
rolled, and of a colour inclining to yel- 
low. This sort is divided into parcels.of 
half a pound each, and isconveyed into 
Russia by the caravans. 2 The Sumlo, 
which has a violet smell, and gives a pale 
infusion. 3. The Congou, which has 
also large leaves, and gives a high- 
coloured infusion, 4. The Peko, which 
isknown by little white leaves that are 
mixed with it, 5. The Bohea, the _— 
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